If you're a stockholder in a company that merged or was acquired, you may be entitled to collect spin-off shares, cash distributions or dividends from the restructuring, even if shares were sold long ago. Former owners of AT&T, for example, may be eligible to receive shares in nearly a dozen other companies.

Perhaps the largest source of unclaimed stock over the last several years has resulted from the recent demutualizations of major life insurance companies, including Metropolitan Life (MetLife), Prudential, John Hancock and others. Demutualization is the process of converting a mutual life insurance company, which is owned by its policyholders, into a publicly traded stock company owned by shareholders.

Literally millions of policyholders and heirs aren't aware they are entitled to claim billions in demutualization compensation. When John Hancock demutualized, it did not have current addressed for 400,000 policyholders. Prudential could not find 1.2 million policyholders entitled to receive compensation, and Metropolitan Life has 60 million shares of stock  - worth some $3 billion - that have gone unclaimed. Claims should be initiated as soon as possible, as unclaimed stock may be sold by government custodians.

Did a deceased relative invest in stocks or bonds? Were stock certificates lost or destroyed? In most cases they can be replaced. Even if a stock or mutual fund is no longer listed on an exchange do not assume it's worthless - shares may still have significant value, even if a company filed for bankruptcy.

To search for unclaimed stock - unclaimed shares, missing distributions and uncashed dividends after a merger, restructuring, demutualization or other reorganization, order our Special Report: Unclaimed Stock Search

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